Abstract
Polysphondylium violaceum and Dictyostelium discoideum myxamoebae have simple double-layered nuclear membranes, a cytoplasmic reticulum of particle-covered membranes, and small mitochondria consisting of convoluted tubules tightly packed in double membranes. In addition to objects still recognisable as bacteria, their food vacuoles contain concentric (or spiral) membranes, apparently formed secondarily from undigested material; these are ultimately ejected. Where the triple-layered plasma membranes (∼70 A wide) of cells in the early aggregates are apposed to one another, they run parallel but separated by a layer of rather constant thickness (∼200 A), as in many unspecialised metazoan tissues. Thus studies on slime moulds may well increase our understanding of cell adhesion and tissue formation in metazoa.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.0 MB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- BIRBECK M. S., MERCER E. H. Cell membranes and morphogenesis. Nature. 1956 Nov 3;178(4540):985–986. doi: 10.1038/178985b0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- BIRBECK M. S., MERCER E. H. The electron microscopy of the human hair follicle. III. The inner root sheath and trichohyaline. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1957 Mar 25;3(2):223–230. doi: 10.1083/jcb.3.2.223. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- BONNER J. T., ADAMS M. S. Cell mixtures of different species and strains of cellular slime moulds. J Embryol Exp Morphol. 1958 Jun;6(2):346–356. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- GEZELIUS K., RANBY B. G. Morphology and fine structure of the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum. Exp Cell Res. 1957 Apr;12(2):265–289. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(57)90141-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- GLAUERT A. M., GLAUERT R. H., ROGERS G. E. A new embedding medium for electron microscopy. Nature. 1956 Oct 13;178(4537):803–803. doi: 10.1038/178803a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- HORSTMANN E., KNOOP A. Elektronenmikroskopische Studien an der Epidermis. I. Rattenpfote. Z Zellforsch Mikrosk Anat. 1958;47(3):348–362. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- LUFT J. H. Permanganate; a new fixative for electron microscopy. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1956 Nov 25;2(6):799–802. doi: 10.1083/jcb.2.6.799. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- MERCER E. H. An electron microscopic study of Amoeba proteus. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1959 Mar 17;150(939):216–232. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1959.0016. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Moscona A. THE DEVELOPMENT IN VITRO OF CHIMERIC AGGREGATES OF DISSOCIATED EMBRYONIC CHICK AND MOUSE CELLS. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1957 Jan 15;43(1):184–194. doi: 10.1073/pnas.43.1.184. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- ODLAND G. F. The fine structure of the interrelationship of cells in the human epidermis. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1958 Sep 25;4(5):529–538. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- PALADE G. E. A study of fixation for electron microscopy. J Exp Med. 1952 Mar;95(3):285–298. doi: 10.1084/jem.95.3.285. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- PALADE G. E. Studies on the endoplasmic reticulum. II. Simple dispositions in cells in situ. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1955 Nov 25;1(6):567–582. doi: 10.1083/jcb.1.6.567. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- SEDAR A. W., PORTER K. R. The fine structure of cortical components of Paramecium multimicronucleatum. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1955 Nov 25;1(6):583–604. doi: 10.1083/jcb.1.6.583. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- STOECKENIUS W. An electron microscope study of myelin figures. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1959 May 25;5(3):491–500. doi: 10.1083/jcb.5.3.491. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]